Psalm 103: God Is Good

Psalm 103 has always held a special place in my heart ever since, as a young preacher, I was shown the ropes by an elderly pastor who taught me to read this psalm during my hospital visitations.  It provides a beautiful reflection on the goodness of God and a call for everything in creation, especially our own soul, to "bless the Lord."

Have you ever thought about how YOU could bless God?  I mean, it isn't as if God needs anything from us, much less our blessing.  Can we ever add to or take away anything from God?  I don't believe that we can.

Yet our own limitations and God's limitlessness doesn't mean that it isn't right or proper for us to bless the Lord.  When we consider the goodness of God, it is a very appropriate response to bless His Holy Name.

The psalmist reviews some of the chief reasons we would have to recognize God's goodness and bless Him for it.  God does such things for us as healing our diseases, renewing our youth, extending our life, acting mercifully and compassionately toward us, and working for the oppressed.  Most especially praiseworthy is His forgiving love.  In an especially eloquent passage, David rhapsodizes, "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.  As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.  For he knows how we are made; he remembers that we are dust" (vs. 10-14).

Though we are quickly passing in our mortality, God is eternal.  His love is from everlasting to everlasting (vs. 17).  All of this is why David calls on many witnesses of God's glory to bless Him for His goodness.  He enlists the help of angels (vs. 20), his heavenly host and ministers (vs. 21), all his works everywhere (vs. 22), and, finally, our own soul.

Have you blessed the Lord lately?  Why not take some quiet moments to do so right now.  How has He been good to you?  How can you articulate His mercies to you?

Bless the Lord, O my soul!